Ellebæk Contact Network

Ellebæk Contact Network works within a set of values, which states that all humans are of equal worth, independent of their nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender or personal resources. We believe in the freedom of movement and that everyone is entitled to strive for the best possible life for themselves. We believe that deportation centers, which detain predominantly racialized and non-criminal individuals, are the result of a racist system and an expression of the lack of respect for the life and dignity of the individual. We consequently believe that the Immigration Detention Center Ellebæk must be closed, and that non-criminal asylum seekers, refugees, or migrants should not be detained.

Out of respect for the value and life of the individual, we support the people we visit with a view to the reality that they are in. This means that we assist the detainees in communications with their lawyers, The Danish Return Agency, and other relevant authorities. We listen to and support them in their situation while also supporting all improvements in the conditions for detainees of Immigration Detention Center Ellebæk. Our systematic documentation of the conditions in Immigration Detention Center Ellebæk is a concrete contribution in this direction. We therefore work both with a radical critique of Immigration Detention Center Ellebæk, in which we maintain that the center should not exist, and at the same time with a corrective critique, in which we demand concrete improvements based on our documentation, that can be implemented tomorrow.

As a contact network, we can do the most good by being able to visit, and by having a continuous dialogue with relevant authorities and actors, in order to create actual and systematic change. For this reason, we as an association do not engage in acts of civil disobedience, as this could potentially compromise our access to Immigration Detention Center Ellebæk. We do however respect that various tactics are used in the common struggle against racism, discrimination, and criminalization of migration.